Rosarium Relics
by Shinigami's Ange1
Summary: CoM/KH2 Rewrite- After accidentally wiping Sora's memory, Naminé is unable to stop the horrific chain of events that follow as Marluxia sets in motion his plan to overthrow the Organization. Can Riku find Sora before it's too late? Or maybe he already has
1. Disconnection

_**Disclaimer: **_All rights and privileges to Kingdom Hearts are trademarks and property of Tetsuya Nomura and Square-Enix. The characters of these works are used WITHOUT permission for the purpose of entertainment only. This work of fiction is not meant for sale or profit.

_**Summary: **_After accidentally erasing Sora's memory, Naminé is powerless to stop the horrific chain of events that follow. With the Keyblade Master within his grasp, Marluxia sets in motion his plan to overthrow Organization XIII. Meanwhile, Riku with the help of King Mickey, sets out to discover the truth about Sora's disappearance, but when the Princesses of Heart begin to go missing, they quickly realize that the truth may be too horrible for them to believe.

_**Author's Note:**_ This fic is an AU of the end of Chain of Memories, it will start there and go all the way to the end of Kingdom Hearts II. It poses the simple question, "What would have happened if Naminé had succeeded in erasing Sora's memory at the end of Chain of Memories? Me and my brother were playing the game, when he turned to me and asked this, and that's how this story was conceived. Visit my homepage on my profile for the PROMO art I did for this story before you begin. I'd love to hear what you all think is going to happen. This is a joint project by me and my brother. I hope you enjoy it. I expect it to be well over 30 chapters, and take a few years to complete. The story starts where Larxene is taunting Sora about believing the memories Naminé gave him.

Another small note: Riku is the main character of this fic, as most of the events revolve around him, however he doesn't show up til chapter 3, after that, the point of view will switch between what's happening with Marluxia, to what's happening with Riku quite frequently.

_**Warnings: **_This story is going to be significantly darker than either game. Although there isn't any slash, it is highly suggestive and like the game, you'll be able to make up your mind about several pairings. Regardless of who you prefer to be with who, this is a story any Kingdom Hearts fan can read and enjoy. It is rated T for now, I don't think that rating will change, but it might.

,.•´)•(•.¸- Scene change

(¯·.¸.•´¯•.¸¸.•´¯•. ,.:¯) - Unconscious / Dream sequence

_Italics_ - Past events

_'Italics'_ - Inner thoughts

,.•´)•(•.¸

_Riku looked out at the desecrated sky, blanketed in darkness. This world was dying. Everything in it lay destroyed. It was so close to the darkness that he could once again hear the Heartless, their frantic raspy voices hungry and desperate, echoing in his head. It wouldn't be long now, and they would be here. His heart began to beat faster. He knew he should warn the King, but something told him he already knew. _

_Riku clutched a hand over his chest as horrible memories came flooding back to him, one after another from the night he destroyed his world. He closed his eyes, willing them to go away, but the memory of Sora's worried face and his desperate outstretched hand, refused to fade away. It was like waking up from a nightmare, only to find you were in a different one. Everything was happening all over again and just like before, there was nothing he could do to stop it. He wanted to help, but the Keyblade refused to come to him. As if sensing his every fear, Mickey reached out and placed a reassuring hand on Riku's leg, but the silver haired boy couldn't bear to look at him. He could only stare at the darkening horizon as the Heartless moved closer. _

_He didn't know what Mickey wanted to do, how either of them was going to save this place. He only knew one thing - they had to find Sora. _

,.•´)•(•.¸

"_**Rosarium Relics"**_

(¯·.¸.•´¯•.¸ _Disconnection _¸.•´¯•. ,.:¯)

The blow she took to the side of her face was nothing compared to the pain that had taken hold of her chest. How can someone who didn't have a heart feel anything at all? She hit the white cold floor with a hard slap, coming face to face with Riku's replica. His face lay motionless and blank, his heart completely shattered.

And it was all her fault.

Tears welled up in her eyes as she stared into his empty, ones. Behind her, she could hear Sora's stricken voice call her name.

"Naminé!"

Tears welled up in her pale eyes as she lay there frozen, her body uncomprehending. Slowly they spilled over, running hotly down her cheeks. She dug her fingers weakly across the tiles, but did nothing to pull herself up as her breath caught oddly in her throat.

'_Why, Sora?' _

Why did he care about what happened to her? She was nothing, nobody, a shadow. How could he ever care for her at all? Just look at everything she had done! And he now knew the truth about everything. Everything! How could he still look at her?

"What?" Larxene said, amused disbelief coating her overly girly voice, "Do I detect… _distress_? You don't even know her!"

"Maybe…not." Sora said, "But…I still made a promise."

False memories flashed through Naminé's mind, causing the tears to come faster.

"Huh?" Larxene sneered.

"I promised Naminé I'd keep her safe." Sora's voice didn't waver. He didn't look at her. He didn't have to. "Maybe my memories are fake. But, the promise is real to me! That's why – I'll keep it."

"Are you stupid?" the icy blonde laughed, "There is no promise, and there never was! You are delusional." Larxene's vividly green eyes marveled him with something between disgust and satisfaction. "Must you insist on playing the hero?"

Sora pulled himself to his knees, throwing a glance at Naminé, still the girl didn't move.

Larxene sneered and tossed her hair. "Whatever. If that's the way you want it… You're going down alone!" The vicious blonde reared back, ready to strike. Suddenly, a giant shield came whirling towards her like a great boomerang . She ducked just in time to see who threw it. It was the brat's friends.

"Not if we can stop you!" the short white duck squawked, his annoying voice grating on her ears. Her wicked green eyes flashed between the three of them. So, it was going to be three on one now, was it? She clenched her weapons in her gloved hand, reevaluating her strategy as the heartfelt reunion played out pathetically in front of her.

The effects of Donald's healing spell spread through Sora's body. He got to his feet. "Donald? Goofy! You found me!"

"Of course we came back. We were worried about you." Goofy said, stepping in front to defend Sora.

Donald followed suit, putting himself between the seething sadist and his friend. "And we promised. We promised that we would protect you!"

Goofy turned and faced her, gripping his shield tightly. "Right! It's always been the three of us, and we stick together."

"And that's how it's going to stay!" Donald shouted, magic crackling from his rod.

One or three, she decided it didn't matter. Larxene scoffed and widened her stance. "Okay…Have it your way. Thrice the pain for you means more fun for me."

,.•´)•(•.¸

Naminé could hear the battle raging behind her. Her pale blonde hair lifted slightly at the static that begun to fill the room, still she could not will herself to move. She continued to stare at the replica; hoping for what, she did not know.

She looked at all the memories they lay there scattered like some great puzzle. She reached out and touched his cold cheek, trying to think of how they should go back together, not knowing if she could do it. She stared sadly at all the broken pieces, like shattered glass than could never again be whole.

She gasped, withdrawing her hand as a stifling and heavy emotion suddenly took hold of her. It pressed against her chest and clawed its way into her throat. She felt like she couldn't breathe.

Alone, she was all alone…

She had been born in loneliness, and here, she would die in it. She had failed, made a mess of everything. No one had any reason to keep her, not Marluxia, not Sora… There was nothing left for her. As she lay there on the colorless floor, everything seemed to fade away. The sounds of the fight behind her softly dulled like a distant memory. She pulled her arm around her shoulder, her lithe body numb and tired. Time seemed to lose all meaning.

All of it meant nothing without Sora.

'_No. I can't lose him. I can't…'_

Naminé gasped and clutched her dress as she felt herself losing control for a second time. "No!" she pleaded.

'_Not to Sora! Please not to Sora! Please-"_

She could feel her power running frantically through her incomplete body, desperate to stop her pain. The tears came faster now as she struggled to keep her dark gift inside. She could see his memories so clearly now, one long gleaming chain being pulled tighter and tighter. She stared at it with wide envious eyes, every link shining brightly with another girl's smile.

She was on her feet without even realizing it. Hands shaking, she reached out and slowly took it. Between her trembling fingers was everything she ever wanted; all she had to do was pull. She frantically shook her head as tears spilt hotly down her panicked face. She tried to let go, but couldn't. It was no use; no matter how hard she tried, her body just wouldn't listen.

'_Not Sora! Please, not Sora!'_

Her fingers tightened around the links as she pleaded harder and harder, struggling desperately against herself. She could feel her control slipping through her fingers as all around her the emptiness started closing in.

'_Alone. You're all alone.'_

"No!" She fell to her knees, holding onto the chain of memories like a lifeline. Through tear-filled tears she stared at the gleaming links between her hands, Kairi's beautiful face smiling brightly at Sora. The face that was hers, but wasn't… She sobbed and gripped the rope tighter. Kairi belonged with Sora.

"_It's her, not you. It's her…'_

Her chest rose and fell in choking gasps as she felt every last bit of restraint starting to crack like glass. Blackness flooded her mind as she let out a terrifying scream. Her small body shook with the force of her strive.

'_Alone. All alone.'_

Her pale eyes widened in fear as she watched her hands slowly twist and pull. She squeezed her eyes shut, as all around her the links fell, filling the air with their hollow chimes.

"No… No! SORA!"

Across the room, three bodies hit the floor.

,.•´)•(•.¸

Marluxia turned as the doors burst opened and Naminé was thrown to his feet. The small girl stared at him with wide, fearful eyes, ugly pink blotches marring her pale beautiful face. The traitorous number XII took in her disheveled appearance and looked at the woman in the doorway. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked.

Larxene smiled and dropped the two bodies she was carrying underneath her arms. Sora and the replica hit the ground with a dull thud. "Go ahead and tell him girl." She smiled viciously at the blonde trembling on the floor, "Tell him what you did."

Naminé shook her head frantically, tears still streaming down her stricken face. "I didn't mean to. I didn't –"

"But of course you did girl!" The Nobody said wickedly. "You didn't want him to leave you. Isn't that right? And what more perfect way to do that than to smash his heart?"

Naminé continued to sob as Marluxia turned his attention from her to the two boys on the floor, "The Keybearer's heart has been smashed?"

"Along with Vexen's little puppet's and the brat's friends." his accomplice said with a slow evil grin

"My, my… you've been quite busy. Haven't you, Naminé?" He smiled at her gently as she gasped and looked up at him pleadingly. She could see the wheels turning behind those smiling blue eyes. This was exactly what he wanted, she knew that. She looked back at the two boys on the floor, their memories scattered all around her like an impossible puzzle.

"What do you want to do Marluxia?" Larxene asked.

Marluxia eyed the two lifeless bodies on the floor and turned back to the girl at his feet. "The question isn't what I want –" He said quietly, leaning down and placing a hand on Naminé's shoulder. She slowly turned towards him, unable to think and unable to move as he curled a finger under her chin and leaned over her. He stared at her intensely, her eyes still swimming with tears. "but what _Naminé_ wants." He said.

She trembled under his touch, too afraid to look away. "I promised I would help you, didn't I?" he whispered gently. "And I never break a promise." He softly took her hands and helped her to her feet, still she didn't look away. Tortuously, he turned her towards the two bodies that lay unmoving on the floor. He leaned over her shoulder as she stared at her dream lying broken on the floor. "His heart can belong to you." Marluxia said lowly. "It _should _belong to you…"

Naminé's breath hitched at the very thought. She turned impossibly pale as she turned to face the pink haired man. He reached out and brushed a stray hair out of her face and smiled. "What do you say…Naminé?"

.•*´¯`*•.¸ (¯`*·.¸(¯`*·.¸¸.•*´¯`*•. ,.:~*`¯.•*´¯`*•.¸ (¯`*·.¸(¯`*·.¸ ¸.•*´¯`*•.To be continued...

Short, we know, but the following chapters will be longer. To better focus on the plot, we've decided to cut down on the descriptions and focus more on the dialogue. As much as we all love really to read very descriptive works, this story is going to be very long as it is. This deliberate writing style is in an effort to provide a more plot driven fic with lots of action. For those of you who are wondering, the entire plot for this has already been sketched out from beginning to end, right down to the last quote of the fic, however we would love to hear your suggestions on what should happen!

Feedback is greatly appreciated~ So please review!


	2. Marionettes

"_**Rosarium Relics"**_

(¯·.¸.•´¯•.¸ _Marionettes _¸.•´¯•. ,.:¯)

Naminé's mind was racing in circles, caught in the threshold of eternal loneliness and endless possibilities. Her next words determined everything. But what Marluxia wanted and what she wanted were two very different things. Sure, their two desires would follow one road for a while, but eventually they would come to a fork.

And when that day came…

She let out a shaky breath, the weight of the hand on her shoulder heavier than ever with the weight of its expectations. At that moment Naminé wished so desperately that she had a heart to listen to, something to make sense of the nameless feeling that was gripping her empty chest.

"It's yours." Marluxia told her softly. "His heart belongs to you now. All you have to do is reach out… and take it."

'_His heart belongs…to me…'_

"But it's-"

"Broken, right?" Naminé jumped at the loud voice that just entered the room. Axel didn't smile as he surveyed the scene before him. One look told him all he needed to know.

"Traitor!" Larxene screamed, drawing her weapons in a brilliant flash. "Don't think I don't know what you've been doing! Marluxia, want me to take care of him?" she asked.

"Traitor?" Axel quipped, smile returning. "That's rich coming from you."

Larxene's eyes widened and her lips snarled with the greatest of loathing, looking more crazed than ever as lightning began sparking between her tightening knuckles, cracking the floor beneath her boots.

Naminé took a step back, clearly able to see where this was about to go. Marluxia swept past her, materializing his weapon as well as Naminé looked on with wide eyes, dilated with fear. They were about to fight, which meant Sora and the replica were going to be caught in the crossfire! Memories she could repair, bodies she could not. If Sora was hit in his current state, she didn't know what would happen to him!

"NO!" she pleaded. "Marluxia, please! Don't do this!"

Useless, her pleas were drowned out by the huge clash of magic in the center of the room, as Marluxia and Larxene engaged Axel in battle. Naminé's scanned the room. There was no where she could duck for cover. Without care for her own safety, she clumsily sprinted towards Sora and the replica just as a stray lightning bolt hit the ground beside them, only narrowly missing them by inches.

Over the roar of magic and swishing of blades, she could hear Axel's taunting voice. "Looks like I'm short a dance partner." He said in the most carefree of voices. "Can't have that, can we?"

A flash of a smile and he disappeared into the darkness.

Naminé gasped as quick hands grabbed her from behind, lifting her from the ground in one fell swoop. Naminé struggled fruitlessly against Axel's firm grip. Marluxia turned, blue eyes flashing with anger. Without Naminé he had nothing.

"Axel!" Marluxia said in the deadliest of voices. "Let her go!"

"She smashed Sora's heart, didn't she?" he asked, grip tightening as he whipped her around to face him. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

Naminé writhed under his harsh grip as he pulled her closer. She held her breath as he pressed his chakrams against her pale throat. "Have you forgotten what your meddling does to those connected to Sora?"

Her eyes widened impossibly further as they once again filled with tears.

'_Roxas…Xion…'_

"I won't say it again Axel! Let her go!" Marluxia growled out. But Naminé was lost in her own panic-stricken thoughts.

'_What have I done?'_

"It was a mistake to ever use her for anything. The Superior should have disposed of her when he found her. She's brought nothing but turmoil." Naminé looked at the two boys lying useless on the floor. It was the truth.

"What is she, but one more vessel without a heart?"

Axel pulled his chakram back, an unknown emotion shining in his eyes .

'_Sora…'_ Naminé squeezed her eyes shut. _'I'm sorry. I just wanted to be with you. I never meant to hurt you. I just wanted to be with you. That's all I ever wanted. All I ever wanted…'_

She held her breath, but the blow never came, only a familiar voice.

"Let Naminé go."

Naminé's eyes snapped open. Behind her fiery-headed captor, Keyblade drawn against his throat, Sora stood only inches away. Axel faltered as the cold edge of the Keyblade pressed firmly against his skin. It was just enough time. Marluxia pulled Naminé away as Axel twisted around to face Sora.

"You? But how?" he demanded. "She broke your heart."

It was Marluxia that answered. "It would seem that Naminé's feelings finally reached the Keyblade Master's heart and mended it. It's her will he is acting upon."

Naminé clutched Marluxia's side as Axel and Sora, weapons drawn, began circling one another. "Sora." The pink-haired man said in a commanding voice. "He tried to kill Naminé. Get rid of him."

In a colorful flash, Sora swung his Keyblade at the red head as Naminé looked on in horror. The Keyblade Master delivered blow after blow, each swing more deadly than the next. Naminé clutched Marluxia's coat desperately. "Stop this, please!" she pleaded.

"Oh, now why the concern?" Larxene asked. "Axel did just try to kill you. Or have you forgotten that already?"

"I don't care! I don't want Sora to fight, not like this!"

"He's just protecting you." Marluxia told her. "Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yes, but he doesn't have to kill anyone."

"Axel is a liability. He can't be left alive. He knows too much."

'_No.'_ She thought. _'No one else is going to suffer for my mistakes.'_

It was going to kill her to do it, but she had no other choice. She stared at Axel, past the clothes, and the flesh; into the memories within. Finally she could see them clearly, a fiery red rope tangled around a certain face. She recognized it at once.

'_Roxas.'_

There wasn't time to think. If she was going to save Axel, she had to do this now, before the reality of it could hit her. Reaching out in her mind, she wrapped her hands around the chain of memories and pulled. The effect was instantaneous; Axel's eyes went blank and he crumbled to the floor just as Sora raised his Keyblade and swung.

"SORA! STOP!" She cried, squeezing her eyes shut and balling her fists.

There was a flash of silver. Then silence.

.•*´¯`*•.¸ (¯`*·.¸(¯`*·.¸¸.•*´¯`*•. ,.:~*`¯.•*´¯`*•.¸ (¯`*·.¸(¯`*·.¸ ¸.•*´¯`*•.

We've decided on shorter chapters. Hopefully, this will mean weekly updates. It depends on how busy work is for the both of us. You won't know Axel's fate for a while unfortunately and don't worry, Riku finally shows up in the next chapter.

Feedback is greatly appreciated~ So please review!


	3. The Face In The Mirror

"_**Rosarium Relics"**_

(¯·.¸.•´¯•.¸ _The Face in the Mirror _¸.•´¯•. ,.:¯)

There was no going back. The hand locked around hers was a chain, binding her to all he had done, all he would do. His grip tightened as the group rushed down the snow colored halls. It felt like the world was rushing around her while she stood still. The feeling caught up with her and she stumbled, but he caught her before she could fall.

"Don't worry." he said. "I won't let anything happen to you, Naminé."

But he was too late. Everything had already happened to her. Everything she had ever dreamed of and everything she had ever feared. It had all already happened.

"What now Marluxia?" Larxene asked, her voice thick with some twisted anticipation.

"Now we leave. Thanks to Naminé, we'll have a new home soon and a few new friends." He smiled pleasantly at her, then at the two boys by her side. "Or should I say_ old_ friends?"

She felt it before she saw it. Marluxia raised his arm and spread his fingers against the marble wall. It bled to darkness as the room filled with a familiar icy air. "Right this way." He said with a smile.

,.•´)•(•.¸

How long he had been walking, he did not know. It might as well had been forever.

_'Such a punishment is less than I deserve', _Riku thought dismissively as he approached another set of stairs.

Across these empty floors he had been wandering for what seem liked hours. Miles and miles of hallways. Floor after floor. Stair after stair. Still nothing changed. He still didn't know why he was here or what he was suppose to do. Maybe that was the point.

"Haven't found what you've been looking for?" an unfamiliar voice asked. Riku looked up. At the top of the stairs under the archway was one of those black cloaked figures, this one short with pale blue spiky hair that hung in his face like a curtain.

"Who are you?" Riku asked the other. He couldn't have been much older than Riku from the look of him, although his voice seemed to tell a different tale.

"Don't you mean, 'Where is the Keyblade Master?' " the figured asked.

"Sora?" Riku tightened his fist, ready to summon his weapon. "What do you know about Sora?" he demanded.

"Only that he's here in the castle." The man said vaguely, nothing on his face to show that he cared one way or the other.

"He's here? WHERE?" Riku was losing patience. Was this all a game to whoever these people were? What did they want with him? And more importantly, what did they want with Sora?

"Does it matter? It's not like you can face him after what you've done."

The silver-haired boy clenched his teeth. "What do you know about what I've done?" Riku snarled.

"I know everything you've done. How you destroyed your home, betrayed everyone you loved; all for the sake of darkness. Tell me Riku, do you really think you can face him again? That you deserve to? Especially with Ansem's shadow still nesting within your heart…" Riku fist shook from the force of his restraint. He wanted to run, he wanted to strike but he couldn't bring himself to move; this stranger's words had him frozen in guilt.

"Sora is destined to battle the darkness, which includes you. How can you still hope to be his friend? And who would know better than you? What Sora wants and what you want are two very different things, aren't they Riku?"

Riku hated this man, this stranger that was seeing right through to him. Right through to the ugly truth. "Shut up!" Riku screamed. "What do you know? You don't know anything!"

"Well then, see for yourself." The blue haired man reached into his cloak and pulled out a card. He threw it at Riku. "There you'll find the truth."

Riku looked at the thin card. It's front was cartoonish, but Riku knew what it was. "This card… this is our..."

"Yes. It is your home." Riku looked up just as the man vanished in a cloud of darkness. Suddenly, the room was spinning. It grew darker and colder, then there were shapes, something from his memory… He was back on their island. He looked around in a panic as the sky churned angrily in a violent mix of purple and black clouds. Across the sand the shoreline had vanished; it was now a cliff that hung over a vast dark ocean with no end in sight. Then he heard their familiar voices. The Heartless…

"This is….that night!" he realized.

The cloaked man appeared before him and pointed out to the empty horizon. "All of the islands you grew up on were sundered, scattered, many hearts were forever lost to the darkness. All because of you."

Riku watched as a version of himself materialized along the cliff of what use to be the shore of the beach, now waterless and dark. He continued to listen to the stranger's cruel words.

"You hated being an islander, so you opened the door to darkness and destroyed the islands. It was you that caused this!" Riku stared out at the ruin he created. Debris was littered across the darkened sky, coloring it like an ugly rain. He wanted to look away, but he couldn't.

"You were pulled to the darkness then, and now you belong in it. You should look…" the cloaked man continued. "Look at what you truly are…"

Then the darkness came, swallowing Riku before his very eyes, devouring him until there was nothing left. Then out of the darkness came a gargatuan Heartless, it's eyes yellow and hungry, the same eyes that haunted his dreams.

Instinct took over as Riku summoned Soul Eater to his hand, ready to fight. The Heartless lunged forward, its skeletonal-like hand reaching longingly for his heart. Riku braced himself for the attack, but it never came. He looked around confused as the scene before him faded and died. Riku was back in the white room again with the cloaked figure, only something was wrong. The man's eyes were bulging, his face transfixed in obvious pain as he gripped at his chest, blood pouring from his black cloak.

Then he understood. The illusion ended because the illusionist was attacked. But by whom? The only other people Riku had seen in this castle were others like the blue haired guy and false images out of his memory. There was no one else. Except…

The illusionist's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he fell forward, a blood-stained blade had been impaled into the unidentified man from his back, it's owner becoming visible as his victim collapsed, sprawled out on the pale floor in front of him. Riku froze, his eyes widening impossibly as he stared at the assailant, completely forgetting about the body that lay crumpled on the floor and fading into nothingness.

"What's the matter?" the boy attacker teased darkly, "See someone you know?"

,.•´)•(•.¸

"What is this place?" Naminé asked. It felt familiar, but she didn't know why. The scent of it filled her nose, bringing unexplained tears to her eyes and a hollow feeling to her stomach, a strange feeling she neither understood, nor wanted.

"This is our new home." Marluxia explained. "A once radiant place called Hollow Bastion." They walked past some windows and she could see the castle's courtyard. It looked like it had been splendid at one point, but now it was filled with forgotten flower beds, broken stones and huge dingy pipes that seemed to lead to nowhere. Marluxia scoffed as his cerulean eyes glanced the derelict momentarily. "The gardens could use some work don't you think? Perhaps that's something you and the boy could help me do, hmmm?"

Her thoughts drifted to Sora and where he was now. Already, she missed him. As soon as they arrived at this castle Marluxia sent him away on some mission. It worried her, the things Marluxia would ask him to do - the orders he would carry out without hesitation.

For her.

"Naminé? Did you hear me?"

She jerked herself out of her thoughts as he eyed her with great interest. "Yes. I think I'd like that." She replied softly. It wasn't entirely a lie. She did need something to distract her from all the deeds to be carried out in her name. She just wasn't sure gardening would be enough.

"Good." he said with a passing nod. Fleeting images of flower designs quickly slippped out of her head as the two continued to walk the corridors. She had more important things to worry about. "When can I see Sora?" she asked.

"Patience, Naminé. You've both had quite a long day, don't you think? I want you to get some rest first, then you can see him. I promise." He came to a halt at a large wood door. He twisted the knob and stuck his head inside, then opened the door widely for her. "What about this room?" he asked. "It looks like there's plenty of room to hang those wonderful drawings of yours."

Naminé stepped across the threshold. The room was dark and smelled a bit dank. Marluxia quietly struck a match and lit a couple of lanterns. Flickering light cast the room into an eerie orange glow as she surveyed the room. It was in rather good shape considering the age of the castle. Several bookcases lined one wall and the bed looked rather comfortable albeit a bit dusty. "What do you think?" the pink-haired man asked.

"It's fine. Thank you." She said in a small voice. He turned and smiled softly as she brushed off the covers and took a seat on the edge. "Get some rest Naminé. When you wake up, you'll be ready to see Sora." She smiled faintly in return as he quietly closed the door behind him. There was a small click, telling her he had just locked her in. Her smile quickly faded as she slowly laid down on the velvet bed coverings.

'_A prisoner once again, huh?'_ she thought sadly, _'At least this time I have him…'_

With that one happy thought she drifted off to sleep, unaware of the terror she left behind.

,.•´)•(•.¸

"Who are you?" Riku demanded.

"I would have thought the answer to that question was obvious." Said the other with a sneer, placing his foot down upon vanishing figure. He harshly pulled his blade from the illusionist, a sickening and unidentifiable sound following its removal.

It was like looking into a mirror. The boy before him looked just like him. Short, spiky silver hair, bright aqua eyes, and drenched in the scent of darkness. Was this some kind of trick? Another illusion meant to test him? Riku decided he didn't care. "Tell me! Where is Sora?"

The other him laughed. "Sora?" it wondered. "Sora doesn't want to see you."

"I'll be the judge of that!" Riku told him, Soul Eater disappating from its forgotten place on the floor and reappearing in his hand with a flourish of dark energy. "Take me to him, NOW!"

"I already told you; Sora doesn't want you. He never wanted you…"

Riku felt his blood run hot as the doppelganger continued to taunt him. The boy chucked, turning his back to Riku. "Don't feel sad. There is someone who does want you. Wouldn't you like to see him?" the boy mused.

Before the boy's words finished running past his lips Riku fell to the ground, clenching his chest as he watched his mirror image walk away. He could feel the darkness seething inside his heart, heavy and hollow. He wanted to tear this boy apart, rip him to pieces…

'Yes. That's it.'

Riku gasped at the unwelcomed voice, body trembling in fear. "No…" he rasped. "Not you."

He looked up. The boy was gone, leaving him behind with his demon. Hatred raced through his veins as he got to his knees to face the man before him, the object of his hatred staring at him with smoldering amber eyes.

"Ansem." He snarled.

.•*´¯`*•.¸ (¯`*·.¸(¯`*·.¸¸.•*´¯`*•. ,.:~*`¯.•*´¯`*•.¸ (¯`*·.¸(¯`*·.¸ ¸.•*´¯`*•.

A lot of rewatching of Re:Chain of Memories preceeded us writing this. We took the best wording from both the manga and the game and threw it in with a little of our own if we didn't like either, but the effect is the same. One or two more chapters and we'll be away from canon entirely. Slow updating is still slow. Life happens.

Feedback is greatly appreciated~ So please review!


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